First published on 8 August 2024 on Newsline

The Olympic Games may be underway in Paris, but in Christchurch court flooring of the same calibre is being installed at Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.

The 110 x 45m community courts area has enough space for six indoor netball/basketball/futsal courts along with line markings for volleyball, badminton, handball, korfball, and floorball.

James Hooper from installation experts - Hardwood Technology, says the community courts space alone at Parakiore is in the top five largest single floor court spaces in New Zealand.

“The floor is so large that we leave a 42mm gap around the outside, because that’s how much the beech timber will expand by, now that it has been unwrapped and exposed to the humidity.

“What the Danish manufacturer, Junckers, supplies us with is a really high-quality product. Because the timber sits on top of sprung battens that are held up by 36,500 wedges and rubber pads, the floor takes much of the impact out of the players’ joints when they’re running and jumping.

“As we lay the 37,800 linear metres of timber for the community courts, it is nailed down with around 110,000 nails, then we’ll mark out the lines and coat the area with 500 litres of polyurethane. That’s when the floor really pops.”

In addition to the community courts Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre also has three courts that can be used for elite level or televised events. Two of these courts can be covered by retractable grandstands that will create a 2500 spectator event space.

Located on Moorhouse Avenue, Parakiore will feature a 50m 10-lane competition swimming pool, a separate diving pool, a large aquatic leisure area, five hydroslides, fitness spaces, an aquatic sensory experience area, a high-performance sports centre, café and allied health facilities.

Crown agency Rau Paenga is responsible for the design and construction of the facility. Christchurch City Council will operate Parakiore when it opens in late 2025.

Learn more about Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.